﻿In the lead quote of “In their own words”(In Focus, May 20), Simcha Fisher stated the following: “The Church does not demand that women bear as many children as possible.” On balance, her overall quote regarding the gift of motherhood is full of wisdom. She is also certainly correct that the Church does not require more than what the Divine Master demands of each of his followers. Nevertheless, shouldn’t we exhort women to love heroically? Indeed, heroic love seems to be of the very nature of authentic femininity. Don’t we marvel at stories of women who have defied the odds and born children out of total charity?

Just as we do not undercut the virtue of fraternal charity by telling people that “the Church does not demand that you love your neighbor as much as possible.” So also, let’s not undercut the virtue of generous parenthood by not holding it up as a virtue for which to strive. And generous parenthood fulfills not only the love of neighbor, but also the love of God, whom we are to love with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind.

Let’s encourage Catholic parents to be more generous in welcoming children. We truly need heroic mothers, much like Fisher — and generous fathers, too!

While I appreciated reading about the blessing for expectant mothers (and fathers) and agree with the wondrous joy this mystery brings to families and parishes, it also made me wonder whether there are blessings that also accompany the same expectant assemblies when the outcome is something else: stillbirths or early infant deaths due to complications.

Such moments bring into stark relief the very real message of God’s sovereignty and plan, and act in their own way as “sign of our rebirth one day into the eternal rejoicing of heaven.”

For example, in Virginia, death certificates are not issued for stillborn babies. Will the Church extend its blessings from a God who is not short on blessings, to shine the light of the Risen One on the least of these?

— Jay Cuasay, Sterling, Va.

Good teaching tool

Kudos to you and staff for your May 20 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. I thought it was so good that I sent it the whole paper to a writer at our local newspaper who writes opinion articles addressing controversies within the Catholic Church (most recently the contraception/abortion mandate, and the Vatican investigation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious). Her perspective is enough to boil any orthodox Catholic’s blood. I thought you should know how much your readers value OSV.